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MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -During the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce's Eggs and Issues, Senator Richard Shelby, Congresswomen Martha Roby, and Terri Sewell were praised for their efforts in helping to land the F-35 in Montgomery.

Mayor Todd Strange, Chairman of the Montgomery County Commission Elton Dean and members of the 187th Fighter Wing gifted the Alabama delegates with framed pictures of the past, present, and future Red Tail aircraft.

"You can't go anywhere in the world, to someone that knows anything about air power, and not know what a red tail means," Brig. Gen. Randy Efferson said. "When those B-17 pilots look out the window and saw those Red Tails they go 'they got our backs', and I'll tell you these three folks right here had our backs,"

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama produced 700,000 engines last year, and according to David Fernandes, president of the facility, the Huntsville plant will likely produce that many in 2018.

"We actually produced 700,000 engines at the end of 2017, and what is amazing to me is that that actually breaks down to about 3,000 engines a day, and that is about six times as many engines as we started with in 2003," Fernandes says, adding that the plant a year ago celebrated its 5 millionth engine.

As for 2018, Fernandes says, "I think we are probably on pace to produce that same volume.

The Alabama company born from frustration has become the source of comfort and joy to thousands upon thousands in all 50 states and some foreign countries.

When Mary Martha Parisher wanted to send a gift more personalized than flowers and more useful than balloons to a family member in a hospital in Texas, she couldn't find a way to do it. The hospital gift shop didn't have the fishing magazines Uncle Burk would like and even if they did, they couldn't deliver to patients' rooms.